The Tasty Pilgrim

A very promising title indeed ! Yesterday we had many pilgrims from Scandinavia, mainly from Sweden.

Also there were three girls from the FarOer Islands. First time I ever met anyone from that place. We had a very interesting conversation on how those islanders could survive economically seen. Unfortunately they did not have fishing as a hobby. They worked in the harbour cleaning fish whenever a boat came in. So I suppose they lost their love for fish and fishing. There was a Swedish guy who wanted to know everything about being a hospitalero. He is from Malmoe and told me a lot about his country. Then there was a young man and an older women present who also spoke very good English. It turned out to be mother and son. The son had a tatoo on his left and right arm. He was dressed like a Gothic character with large black earrings and so on. Three days a week he worked at a night club cleaning dishes and glasses and keeping the place spotles after everyone had left. The rest of the day he spends as an artist creating paintings and sculpture and writing. The tatoo on his right arm was the symbol of the AA (anonymous alcoholics). He had done so on purpose as he worked with the AA. Lots of youngsters are on drugs or alcoholics and he tries to help. I had a lot of respect for him. As he got on very well with his mother they were walking the Camino together. Also there was a Frenchman who was a streetcorner worker in Marseille. He is about 35 and travels with a girl of about 15 years old. Most people did not trust this situation, but they are wrong. The girl was a juvenile delingent and had a list of arrests as long as your arm. She had almost never been to school. This was her last chance. She was given the opportunity to walk for three months as a kind of turnaround in life. The man had just been assigned to the girl. They did not know each other. He just started walking with her from Marseille and followed the Camino del Norte which is along the Coast. Then they walked all the away South to Portugal. From there they went to Santiago and now they were walking the Camino Frances back to France. Every day when they came to a refugio she had to do some school work in the evening.

We all hope that the girl will be healed by this long journey on foot and that she will return to a normal life.

Speaking of healing. Someone had awful cramps in the leg. I massaged it carefully and then did the healing that I had learned fom the two witches. After half an hour the cramps had gone complelety !

Wow I surprised even myself ! In the morning when people leave I ask for their camera and take a picture of them in the door opening. Most of them take pictures but are hardly themselves in a photo. Lots want to have me also in the picture and will mail me the photo. Another little thing which is so important. They will always remember this refugio Gaulcelmo and the kind and warm hospitalero. This is how it should be.